Duel of the fates
by Leonidas from Poland
Summary: Someone is being tested, some famous words are spoken Standard disclamer: not my, if you see something familiar, it belongs to the its owners, not me.


**Standard disclamer: not my, not my, not my, and if you see something familiar, not my of course, it belongs to its respected owners, enjoy :-)**

 **Someone is going to be tested, some famous words are to be said.**

For a Dhulan of Star Riders clan it was an ordinary day in the Anla-shok training facility. He was standing on the mat, with his dehn-book in his hands, waiting for his opponent to enter the circle to face one of the final exams, one that was to test ability to use that ancient Minbari weapon.

It would be pure formality if the recruit was a Minbarii, but that was not the case. The man who has just entered the mat was a human, young, middle built, much smaller than his minbari oponent, but judging by his look and movements clearly determined to pass, with head covered with blonde... how do they called it ... hair.

Humans, Dhulan could not help to smile at the irony of that situation. Former „souless beasts, cowardly barbarians, killers of Dukhat, plague on the face of galaxy to be eradicated once and forever" were now joining the Army of Light to face the dark enemy about to return and every day was showing him how he has misjudged them.

The first time he has heard of them was when their most respected and the greatest since Valen times leader was killed in the failed first contact. The warrior cast opened gun ports as the sign of strenght and respect, but the captain of the leading human ship misunderstood this and gave order to open fire which could lead only to bloody war. Dhulan was mad, just as every Minbari was, and he did not care. He ignored thought that opening gun ports could provoke aliens, which appeared in his mind, only to be cast away in the same moment. He gave him self to the darkest part of his nature. Gone was compassion, gone was mercy, gone was everything making him Minbari, there was only revenge and bloodlust masked by the words of honour and duty. And when this new enemy turned out to be so primitive, so inferior in terms of technology, he was angry even more, angry at universe denying him of worthy oponent. Humans could not harm them, their targeting system could not locate them, their ships were dying under the fire of pround Minbarii fleet. In space they almost seem to be no challenge at all.

And yet they fought back, suffering impossible where every other race would give up. This surprised him at first and earned them small token of his respect, and then something started cracking in his soul. At first he did not see it, but he soon started to question himself if his cause was right and just. Especially when they hit their first colony, just before Branmer took command. Seeing dead civilians: woman and children, some of them newborn and so similar to his own, shook something in him. But he could not stop, he was Minbari, he was lead by the Grey Council order, their war was declared to be a holy cause, so they must have been right, even if small part of him was telling him otherwise.

He did not said a word, he kept his doubts for him self, defying orders from the superiors would undermine the honour of his family, clan and cast. But he still remembered the night before the last battle, as they were aprocing the home planet of „honourless monkeys", when he could not sleep and could not look in the mirror, knowing what was expected from him to do next day. And he was not the only one, some of his crew mates, even the warriors were terrified, he could see it in their eyes, just as they were seeing it in his. Their madness were going away, replaced by sensation of loss, sorrow for fallen (even humans) and question „What in Valen name are we doing ?". They were tired. If there was a reason to stop this bloodsheed, he would embrace it in the moment he knew it. He secretly prayed for a miracle and the miracle came, humans survived.

He did not know why Grey Council gave them order to surrender at that time, and to be honest he was furious they did. Religious cast ignored great sacrifices made by his clan, ignored fallen members of his family. If they have ordered humans to surrender, making them their client race, he would accept such solution without protest and he would treat them with respect their earned in his eyes during two years of bloody war, with honour and just. But giving to them after fighting so hard, that was unheard of and unacceptable. They were not to be blame this time of course, religious cast was, but it did not matter to him at that time. One final time, in the last peak of madness, he want to kill them.

And then humans surprised him again. Instead staying in their solar system after suffering such great losses, they come to the rest of galaxy with idea of diplomatic space station. He dismissed it at first, as a hoax, and when the news has returned he dissmissed this again as the sign of their madness, but after some time of study he was taken by that idea. To dedicate oneself to a peace, after suffering such horrible war, was something only civilised, honest, honour driven being would do. But how this „stupid monkeys" could come to such noble idea ? He did not know, because he did not know them, it become clear to him. It was the first time when he openly admitted to him self that he misjudged these clearly curious and relentless creatures due to his own ignorance. They could not be entirely worthless in they demonstrated so much courage, sacrifice and duty in the war, he has seen it. And if this ignorance was a weakness of his as the warrior, than he must do everything to correct him self. He started to learn about them. Their language, sweet Valeria on Havens, they had so many of them, how could they cope with that ? Their culture, Valen save me, how can they coexist having so many cultures and having no culture at all in the same time ? Their religions, stories, art and poetry, even ther mating rituals from XXX marked movies, which surprised members of his clan, some even declared him mad. But when he explained to cast elder that he must learn more about this enemy to be prepared in future they allowed him to continue.

And his studies has payed off. Soon the first human came to Minbar, David Sinclair, former Babylon 5 commander, and one of the Battle of Line survivors. Dhulan has heard of him him, he had extensive knowledge of this man, and a lot of respect which of course was never expressed in the presence of the other Minbari. So elders many times were asking Dhulan about this „human warrior" clearly not sure how to adress entire situation. And when Sinclair not only has joined the Anlashok but become Entil-Zha, and other humans followed his example filling the ranks of Army of Light, he was ordered to join them too, to watch, learn, and from time to time to inform elders about details of this unexpected development, the job which he was glad to accept not only to satisfy the elders but his own curiosity. This is how he became Anlashok, one of the combat instructors, since humans rarely had any military training, which they of course compensated with stubbornness and speed they were learning.

This one young man was example of that. His movements were fast, and he was quite good, for the beginner, his eyes were focused on his oponent, as his soul seemed to be focused on this test. But if he was thrown out of balance, by somenthing unexpected ? Dhulan smiled slighly and decided to use his knowledge of human culture, to distract a candidate. Keeping relaxing stance he declared:

„The Force is with you young Skywalker, but you are not a Jedi yet"

Before he went on offensive testing human defence and ability to adapt. Minbari present in the room exchanged surpriced looks, trying to figure out unexpected words, while humans only smiled clearly amused, but a candidate, taken by this strange invitation to a test, remained focused. He was much weaker than his instructor, and could not stand the strenght of assault, but he adapted by using his own greater speed and agility, and he remained silent. This made Dhulan continue:

„Obi-wan has taught you well, you have controled your fear. Now realise your anger, only your hatred can destroy me !"

They were fighting again, with human on the counterstrike whenever he saw oportunity, and Dhulan was pleased, this young man could be a good Anlashook, althought there were many things he should learn first. In the next moment he decided to focuse more on the fight, as the adept's weapon came dangerously close to instructor head, before he stoped it in last moment. Such move would be good even for a Minbarii warrior. Dhulan made one step back and stoped fight with a gesture, clearly showing his acceptance. Human smiled and answered:

„I am Jedi, as my father before me, I will never join the Dark Side"

„So be it, Jedi" said someone from the audience, not sure human or minbari, for he was wearing a hood.


End file.
